After hitting Sydney pretty hard for week - and spending a small fortune - it was time for rest and relaxation. I hadn't really planned anything after Sydney; all I knew is that I had nearly 2 weeks to be back there for the next flight. Having spoken to a few people on the way, the only place that sounded perfect for me was Byron Bay; not too far that it will take ages to get back, but far enough that I wouldn't have to worry about the city life!! So, on Sunday morning I booked an overnight bus to take me away to paradise for a while... and paradise is very nice!!
Byron Bay is on the border of New South Wales and Queensland and was one of the first places that James Cook and was supposed to be the first settlement when the First Fleet arrived from England; however they decided on Sydney instead.
Byron Bay is also noted for being one of the most relaxed places on the East coast. There is a large hippy population within the town, there is a great nightlife with most places hosting live bands every night and the beaches in and around the bay are awesome for surfing. Getting off of the bus, you could just tell that this is no longer the city, no hassle and just pure relaxation.
Getting into Byron Bay at 7.30am was not the most fun of things... and being told that check-in is at 2 as there is currently someone asleep in the bed didn't help the situation. So there was only I thing to do on a Monday morning - at now, 8am - and that is to hit the beach!! Not a cloud in the sky meant that the temperature was currently around 22 degrees; and rising ever so quickly. There were quite a few surfers out as well; majority catching a few early waves before work. Other than that, being a Monday the beach was pretty empty, so I stuck the iPod on, laid back and closed my eyes for a few hours...
The hostel was pretty basic but did the job; although completely overpriced for what you got - which seems to be the case throughout the majority of Australia.
Getting to about 12, then stomach starts growling; so managed to pull myself away from the beach for an hour, found an amazing little bar overlooking the bay and the most perfect Eggs Florentine and a nice double Espresso for a bit of a boast.
After checking in and meeting a couple of Americans also staying in the room, we hired out body boards and headed back down to the beach. The waves were still pounding the shore and were looking pretty violent; so I just dived in head first!! It was like being a kid again and getting thrown left, right and centre about the waves. After a couple of hours I'd knackered myself out and went back to lying down in the sun. Also, having picked-up a couple of war wounds I thought it was time to stop before somebody - namely me... - got hurt. I even managed to catch a wave which smashed the body board into my face; which I honestly thought had broken my jaw and was guaranteed to leave a nice bit bruising. Early night to get ready for another day at the beach as the weather prediction was to be: HOT!!
The next day was indeed spent at the beach... The weather blistering again and the tan coming along nicely. No body boarding this time though; this was a day to relax. In the afternoon I felt the urge for adventure, got up and headed straight to one of the travel agencies to book the Sky Dive.
The rest of my time at Byron pretty much followed suit. The days were hot and the nights were chilled and relaxed. I met up with a couple of people from Sydney for a couple of days and as there is not that much else to do in Byron except for the beach and and the bars; that's precisely what we did; being innovative on one of the nights and taking the bar to the beach; where we put some music on, lit a small fire (highly illegal and prohibited) and sat back with a couple of cases of beer until around 4am. It was pretty cool; there were a few other groups along the beach; but the whole place was otherwise in pitch blackness; stars spread all across the sky and a bright flash every 15 seconds of the light house spinning around in the distance.
Being in Byron bay has been a welcomed relief. Since starting the travels, the majority of the time has been spent in large cities - Rio, Buenos, Sydney - and being able to kick back and not have a care in the world has been great and has definitely set me up for heading to Asia over the next few days. The plan is to get the larger places such as; Singapore and Kuala Lumper out of the way early, so that the remainder of the time - however long that may be - can't be spent on the beaches, small coastal towns and islands. Can. Not. Wait.
x
The next day was indeed spent at the beach... The weather blistering again and the tan coming along nicely. No body boarding this time though; this was a day to relax. In the afternoon I felt the urge for adventure, got up and headed straight to one of the travel agencies to book the Sky Dive.
The rest of my time at Byron pretty much followed suit. The days were hot and the nights were chilled and relaxed. I met up with a couple of people from Sydney for a couple of days and as there is not that much else to do in Byron except for the beach and and the bars; that's precisely what we did; being innovative on one of the nights and taking the bar to the beach; where we put some music on, lit a small fire (highly illegal and prohibited) and sat back with a couple of cases of beer until around 4am. It was pretty cool; there were a few other groups along the beach; but the whole place was otherwise in pitch blackness; stars spread all across the sky and a bright flash every 15 seconds of the light house spinning around in the distance.
Being in Byron bay has been a welcomed relief. Since starting the travels, the majority of the time has been spent in large cities - Rio, Buenos, Sydney - and being able to kick back and not have a care in the world has been great and has definitely set me up for heading to Asia over the next few days. The plan is to get the larger places such as; Singapore and Kuala Lumper out of the way early, so that the remainder of the time - however long that may be - can't be spent on the beaches, small coastal towns and islands. Can. Not. Wait.
x
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